Psychiatric Hospital
by soraxtsuna123
Summary: After an accident, Ponyboy Curtis found himself in a mental hospital. He meets many interesting people in the facility like Steve and Johnny, and thinks that he is getting better. But Ponyboy couldn't help but notice people being checked into the ward disappearing one by one over night. Curtis brothers aren't related.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the outsiders!**

**o-o-o**

My grey-green eyes drifted from side to side frantically. Where was I? How did I get here? I remember having a good life with my two parents. Then I ended up in an unfamiliar place. I was sitting on a wheelchair, being pushed through a door by people in doctor outfits. All I could hear was the small taps of footsteps, the quiet hum of the air conditioner, the clicks of my wheelchair as it hit another crack in the white tile, and my fast heartbeat. We were passing through a long hallway to another metal door.

Where were my parents? Heck, where were my own clothes? I was now changed into a light blue, cotton pants with a matching shirt. I was also wearing thin, white slippers. The change in clothes was completely different then my usual clothing which always consisted of a sweatshirt, jeans, white high-top converses, and a comfortable t-shirt.

The doctors pushed me through the metal door and I soon found myself being pushed in front of a receptionist desk. The woman behind the desk, looked up from her work as my wheelchair came to a stop.

"Hello, may I help you?" She asked, pushing back her hair behind her ear.

"Yes, we are checking in Ponyboy Michael Curtis," informed one of the doctors. The woman flipped through a giant book and scanned the pages.

"Ah, yes. Ponyboy Curtis! Age 14. He has an excessive imagination that is too dangerous to be around the more sane people." What? "I take it that he has recovered enough from the hospital?" Wait, hospital? Recovered?

I looked down to search for any injuries, now noticing my arms wrapped in a thin layers of bandages. Around my neck, forehead, legs, and abdomen was pressure, indicating that it too was covered in bandages. The more I realized that I was injured, the more I could feel the sharp sting of the injuries that lied under the wrappings. What happened? When did I get these?

"Yes, only minor injuries that can heal in the next few days are left."

"Thank you, I can take it from here."

The doctors pushed me up to her and she grabbed the handles. She then reached over, grabbed the phone, and dialed in a number. She pressed it against her ear and I could slightly hear the rings before a muffled voice answered.

"Yes, is this Darry?"

A pause.

"Yeah, this is Marcia, the receptionist. Listen, there's a new patient here today. Do you mind counselling him? And yes, he shares a room with the other you council, Sodapop."

Sodapop? That's an unusual name. Then again, my name _is _Ponyboy.

"Thank you."

The woman, Marcia, hung up and a few minutes later a man walked up. He was a tall man, between the ages 20 and 26, and was incredibly ripped. Although he looks young(ish), his eyes shown maturity. He looked like someone who grew up too fast.

He walked over and Marcia handed me to him. This must be Darry. Darry nodded respectfully before pushing me towards the hallway behind the desk. The farther we went in the more people we saw in the same outfit as I wore. The all turned to look me over; probably deciding my fate.

"So, your name is Ponyboy. That's an original name. Your soon-to-be roommate's name is Sodapop," Darry started. I could tell this was awkward for him.

"Why am I here?" I asked instead.

"Well, I don't know yet. I haven't read your file yet."

"Any you were willing to _'help' _me even though you don't know? The lady in front…uh…Marcia said that I have an erratic imagination? But I don't have that. I'm normal."

"Most new patients say that they are fine. Usually, they don't realize what's wrong with them."

The wheelchair came to a stop in front of a room. Room 43. Darry opened the door, peeking his head in.

"Soda, your new roommate is here." Darry pushed me in the room. Inside were two beds that were on different walls. There was a small window, too small to fit your body through, which showed the outside world. Sitting in one of the beds was a teenager that was about seventeen. The first thought that came to mind was 'gorgeous'. Now, I'm not saying this because I like boys. Sodapop looked like a really handsome movie star, or model. He probably attracts girls like bees are to honey.

Sodapop got up from the bed, loping over to me with a huge smile that was as bright as a thousand suns. It confused me as to why he was here.

"I'm Sodapop, you can call me Soda," he greeted.

"I'm Ponyboy," I said, giving him a mild smile.

If his smile could get any bigger, it just did. "Ponyboy? You have an original name too! That's so cool."

"Alright, I'll leave you for a few minutes. I have to go pick up your files, Ponyboy," Darry said before walking out of the room. Soda sat back down on his bed.

"So… I know that we just met, but can I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure?" I wasn't sure where he was going with this.

"Are you disabled, since you're in that wheelchair?"

"I don't think so. I hope not. I can feel my legs. I just woke up being pushed here in a wheelchair. I can try getting out, but I do have injuries, I think, on my legs. I really don't remember getting them."

"You don't remember?"

"No, I was with my family at one point then I was here." I tried to get out of the wheelchair, wobbling a bit on my feet before steadying. I sat on the other bed and pushed the wheelchair aside.

"That's weird," Sodapop concluded. "So, do you know why they put you in here?"

"I was told I had an erratic imagination that can harm others. What about you?"

"I have DID."

"Dissociative Identity Disorder?"

"Yup! Right now, you're conversing with the original alias… I think…"

"How many personalities do you have?"

"I really don't know. The one that mostly comes up is named Dean. Dean loves to harm people."

"So he's a sadist."

"Uh…sure. The other that comes up a lot is practically your everyday womanizer."

The door opened again and two men walked in. "Oh, hey Steve, Two-Bit!" Soda greeted.


	2. Chapter 2

The two newcomers were completely different, personality-wise. One of them looked like a jester; well, not really. He looked like someone who always made jokes. The other looked more composed.

Right when the two entered the room, their eyes locked onto me.

"Who's that?" The more composed one asked.

"That's my new roommate, Ponyboy!" Soda introduced. The chilled one snorted at the sound of my name and I felt my ears warm up from embarrassment. I could already tell I would not like him much.

The goofy one sat down next to me and swung an arm around my shoulders. "I'm Two-Bit. Don't wear it out," he introduced. I smiled my "hello" at him.

"I'm Steve," the other said. "I'm Two-Bit's counselor."

"So, Stevie, what's up?" Soda asked.

Steve's face lit up a bit. "Oh, Darry said to take you to dinner. He is going to be late."

Soda nodded, standing up. Two-Bit followed suit and I followed the three men out the room. We weaved through the hallways and I did my best to memorize the way from my room to the cafeteria. We passed through a hallway with a dimmed lightbulb. I wonder what's down there and why they keep it dim. I was going to ask the others when I saw a dark silhouette of a large figure move in and out of my vision, catching my immediate attention. Who…? I shook my head. It was probably a counselor or patient here.

"Ponyboy, hurry up!" Two-Bit yelled.

"Sorry," I called back and caught up with them, now realizing that I stopped walking.

We went into the mess hall and got our foods on trays. I stared incredulously at the glop of food on my tray. Was this considered food? I sat down at the table with the guys I met today and poked at my _food_. It smells like food… I scooped a chunk out of the glop with my spork and put it in my mouth. It tasted like food. I guess its fine. I started to eat it a bit faster, realizing how hungry I was. It felt like I have not ate in ages.

Once I scarfed down my supper I asked a question that bothered me. "Why was that hallway dimmed out?"

Soda frowned at the question. "That's where the patients that refuse to leave their rooms are. Most of them keep the light off, so it would be easier on their eyes when the counselors check up on them. In fact, Steve is taking care of one: Johnny. How's he doing, anyways? Any progress?"

Steve let out a sigh and leaned back against his plastic chair, running a hand through his hair. "Johnny still won't talk to me. He won't talk to anyone. Well, except for Dally, but he could barely get Johnny to speak. It's rare. I don't even hear Johnny talk. It's just rumors. The kids hopeless at this rate."

"Johnny still won't move from that corner?" Darry asked, joining us at the table. He placed the unopened files on the table. Curiosity peaked my attention on the boy.

"Can I try talking to him?" I asked.

Steve shrugged. "Be my guest. Just don't get your hopes up. We can go after everyone finished eating."

Everyone agreed. Darry opened the files, reading through my files. His stoic expression had a bit of impressment on it. I wonder what he's reading that made his expression to change like that.

"Did you skip a grade, Ponyboy?" Darry asked.

"Yeah." I answered.

"That explains your age as a softmore. You have strait 'A's as well as having good times in the track team."

Soda whistled. "Wow."

"Does that file say anything about my parents and why I was put in here?" I asked.

Darry read the file more before shaking his head. "Your parents wanted you to get better and was scared for you."

"Then why am I covered in bandages and came here pushed by doctors in a wheelchair?"

"You got in a fight with someone and got really hurt."

I frowned before nodding. Something was _off _about what he was saying. I am not a person who just _gets _into fights. If I do, there had to be a really good reason for it. After everyone finished eating, we gave our trays up and Steve took us to the dim hallway. We walked until we found a metallic, green door that was labeled with a '15'. Steve knocked on the door quietly, then opened it. It was dark inside; the only light came from the dim lights in the hallway. I could make out a figure in the corner of the room. Steve walked to the light switch, flicking it on.

In the corner of the newly lit room, was a darker skinned boy with long hair. Bangs mostly covered his frightened looking eyes. He looked a bit older than I was. Johnny reminded me of a scared puppy.

I walked over to him slowly; as if to not frighten him away, and sat down. His attention was now focused mainly on me. I smiled gently at him. "Hi, my name's Ponyboy," I introduced in a hush tone. "I just came here."

I waited for a response, not expecting anything to come out of the other. "I heard you won't talk to people. But, you can converse with me. I don't bite…unless someone took the last slice of chocolate cake. Then it's _war_."

Johnny's lip twitched. It was almost unnoticeable. I smiled brighter. "But, you know, people have to speak. Talking is a great stress reliever and it can help you solve any problem. No one is supposed to be alone. If you don't talk now, then I'll still press on until you accept me as your friend."

Steve cleared his throat and I nodded towards him, understanding his message. I turned back towards Johnny. "I got to go now. But, hopefully, I will see you again. It's a lot easier to talk to you then them, so I enjoyed this conversation." I stood up. "Bye."

"Bye…" Johnny croaked out quietly. His voice was enough to rip through the silence. For a few moments, the fear left Johnny's eyes and I saw shyness. I smiled and waved before leaving the room.

After the door closed, the others looked at me with shock and disbelief. I wish I could take a picture of their faces right now. "He talked to you!" Two-Bit gasped out. "He doesn't talk to anyone!"

"What did you say to him to talk to you?" Steve pressed.

"I just asked if he wanted to my friend," I shrugged and walked off towards my room.

**o-o-o**

**Replies:**

**_Goldenthorns_: I actually thought about Ponyboy with DID, then was like, "Nah, Soda will get that." I don't know what else is there for him. So I did. But, gosh, nursery rhymes are so creepy. But you made them about murder? That sounds scarring to other people. Then again, I did change them to be satanic and made a propane man that came to my house scream and leave because I was just being really creepy that day... It made me laugh.**

_** The Curtis Crew: **_**If you weren't sure about this story, then why did you read it and review for it?**

**_Sarahlacksanity: _Aw, yosh. I'll try me best to impress you! :D**

**_Candie Winston: _Your review made me blush so much and made me happy for a week. No one had ever said that to one of my stories before. And yes, it does take place in 1966.**

**_Seth Clearwater: _You'll find out some of it next chapter. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

_At first, everything was all black. Then I saw the scintillating, colorful, bright lights. Wailing sirens muted the chatter of surrounding pedestrians. Why were so many people around me? My vision was blurry and it was difficult to move my body. I tried to look more around me to try to understand what was going on, but my head moved on its own. I looked down at my resting arms where my vision blurred even more. But even with the lack of control of my sight, I could tell what the dark color over the light skin was: blood._

_My arms raised, turning over so that the palms faced upwards. Mt hands shook tremendously. Was this my blood? Before my mind could register more, I felt a pulling sensation. The perimeter around me blurred even more until all faded to black._

I shot upwards out of bed, panting. My heartbeat was quick and I was sweating something fierce. What was that dream? I focused my eyes on the silhouettes of my hands. Flashes of blood on them embodied in my mind. Was it a memory? It would make sense since I did come here wearing bandages. If it was, what happened?

After wracking my head for more memories, coming up with nothing, I decided to just give it up for now and think about it later. I lied back down on my bed, eyes closing. Tomorrow I plan to remove the bandages.

The next morning, I woke up before Sodapop. I swung my legs out of bed so they jangled off the side. The light that blared through the locked window was bright. How could Soda sleep through that?

Soda mumbled something in his sleep, snapping my attention to him. He murmured something about…a sandy nurse? Well, okay then.

I hopped out of bed and started to prowl around the boring room. What was I supposed to do now? Am I supposed to wait until Soda wakes up or Darry enters the room? Am I supposed to wait to take off the bandages? Am I allowed to just waltz outside?

Taking off the bandages now would not hurt. Plus, I could always put it back on if I needed too. The suspense of the need to see the damage was killing me. I grasped onto the bandages and unwrapped myself. Under them, scars were carved into my skin like an art piece. Deep and shallow scars went horizontally, vertically, and crisscrossed on my arms. The images flashed in my head and I shut my eyes tightly to attempt to keep the images out.

"Good mornin'…" Soda's fatigued, almost slurred, voice broke the silence, making me jump. He pushed his body up drowsily, face sheepish.

"Good Morning," I replied.

"Are you taking off your bandages?"

"Yeah."

Soda sat up completely, stretching his muscles. "What does it look like? Do you remember anything?"

I turned around and walked to him, holding out my arms. His eyes widened. "I…" I opened my mouth to say something, only to close it. Should I tell him about my dream?

It turned out that I didn't have a choice to tell him or not. Sodapop was a lot sharper than I had imagined. "What is it?" He asked. "You can tell me."

"I had a dream last night… but… I don't remember it," I lied last second, crossing my fingers that he would believe it.

Soda frowned, an action that I thought that I would never see. "That's too bad. These scars are pretty bad. It would be nice knowing what had happened."

I shrugged and unwrapped the rest of the bandages. During that time, Darry walked into the room, greeting us. He told us to go over to the group confession where he would meet us later. Soda led me over to a large room with plastic chairs all lined up in a circle. A lot of people were already there and sitting down.

We both sat down next to each other in vacant seats. I tapped my fingers on my knee nervously. I have seen how they do these confessions in movies, but I do not remember how I got here yet. Soon enough, everyone was seated. The only person I noticed not there was Johnny. Everyone wore the same clothes except for one older man that was balding, a few stray grey hairs on his head.

"Good morning everyone, it's time for the group confessions. Since I do see new faces, how about we go around, say our names, and a few things about yourself. Who wants to start first?" The man asked before going ahead and pointed to a random male that sat near me. "You, start."

The male clicked his tongue in annoyance as he crossed his arms. "My name's Curly."

"Would you like to tell us about yourself?"

Curly laughed, probably at an inside joke before answering in a seducing tone. "What do you want to know about me?"

"Not what you're thinking. Let's skip that. What are you in here for?"

"Conduct Disorder."

If the movies are correct, he's going to say 'and how do you feel about that' soon or make him tell a story about how he found out.

"Would you like to tell a story about an event? Or what have you done?" Called it.

"Let's see, I have broken into someone's house, broken in peoples' cars, initiated in physical fights, set property on fire, do I need to say more?"

Someone stood up quickly, pointing an accusing finger at Curly. "Wait! Were you the one who stabbed my brother?"

"Probably."

"You should be put in jail for all of your crimes!" Another person stood up.

"Everyone calm down and sit down. What Curly has can't be controlled. It's pretty serious!" The counselor commanded, making everyone sit down. Glares were sent to Curly. "Okay, next person."

We went around the circle and I learned a few things. There was a guy named Bob there who scarily has Frotteurism. Two-Bit had kleptomania. A girl named Angela had Stockholm Syndrome. Another guy walked into the room, only to leave soon after. Steve chased after him. That must have been Dally. Soon it was my turn.

"My name is Ponyboy," I introduced, earning chuckles.

"Alright, what are you here for?"

"Schizophrenia."

He looked at me questionably. "I'm sorry, how old are you?"

"Fourteen."

"It must be pretty severe then. The younger you are with the disorder, the more severe. It usually occurs with adults or late teens. Do you know what triggered it?"

I shook my head. "I actually don't remember anything."

A look of disappointment showed on his face before he continued. "Alright, can you try to remember what happened? Look deep in your mind. You don't have to if you do not feel like doing so, though."

I nodded. "I… can try."

I was unsure if I should proceed with this or not. After what I saw in my dream, I am scared of what I would see. But, I also want to know what happened.

I closed my eyes, and was consumed by the darkness of my mind. I did not know what to do, so I just imagined myself floating, surrounding by closed doors of different types. I hovered over to the closest door: a tavern-styled, wooden door. I pulled on its steel handles, and a rush of memories ran through me. It was a memory of my first day of preschool. I was pretty shy back then and clung onto my mother's long-skirt. I pulled out of the memory and closed the door. The door faded into oblivion soon after.

The next door was like a submarine door, but that was not what I was looking for. I spent what felt like hours searching in my memory before a small trapdoor caught my attention. I floated down and pulled on the latch, but a chain was wrapped around it like a boa constrictor and its prey. I pulled at the chain, but it refused to budge. I soon gave up.

The wooden trapdoor had a small hole in the wood. On the other side, there was a bright light. Maybe I can look through there? I pressed my face on the wooden door and peered through the small gap.

A faded image entered my brain, but it still felt like I was there.

_Fire rose around me as tall as a great wall. Its flames danced across my skin. I was swatting at my body to extinguish the fire, but it was futile. I could hear myself scream and smell the burning flesh._

_The memory was hard to concentrate on because all I could feel was myself being burnt alive._

"_Ponyboy!" I heard someone call. Dad? A figure emerged from the fire, a worried expression plastered on his face. But it was not my dad. My back pressed harder into the corner of, what-now-I-noticed-as, a closet. I was back home. I could recognize some of the burning junk that was put away in here._

_The man stepped closer to me, but I snapped at him. "S-Stay away!" He froze._

_He was a large man, maybe as big as Darry. He had dark, curly hair and a small beard. His eyes were a piercing brown. "Ponyboy, calm down, it's me! We have to get out of here!"_

_The man had his voice. Why did he have dad's voice? Where was mom?_

"_I don't want to go anywhere with you!" I coughed from inhaling the smoke and put my t-shirt over my nose to filter the air. "You killed her!"_

_The man came closer and grabbed at my burning arms urgently, ignoring what I said, but I pushed him off of me with all my might. It was hard to move my arms, I noticed. The fire on me was almost too much for me now and I could feel that I was going to suffer greatly from this. The man stumbled back, a look of shock on his face, as he tripped over a burning baseball bat._

"_Ponyboy!" He cried out. Then a snap was heard before you could hear something falling over. The man look upwards, fear evident in his eyes. Then, the man disappeared; in his place was my father. He screamed as a cabinet fell on top of him._

"_D-Dad!" I screamed._

I was pulled out of the memory as well as the dark conscious of my mind. My head snapped upwards and I fell off the chair, screaming. I could still feel my flesh burning and I clutched at my arms. My body quaked. I heard voices but they were muffled by my loud heartbeat.

Arms wrapped around me, making me freeze, tensing up. The arms tugged my backwards until my back hit something warm and firm. My head cranked upwards and my wide eyes fell upon Soda who had pulled me against his chest in a comforting manner.

"Ssh, it's okay. Calm down," Soda whispered. My trembling body soon calmed down and my heartbeat synced with his. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah…" I lied, and everyone knew that I did. I looked away from Soda and he unwrapped himself. My eyes flashed to the clock. Five minutes. I was looking through memories and out in the total of five minutes. A nurse scurried into the room and rushed towards me. Her eyes were full of worry as she placed her hand gently on my shoulder. She sure was pretty. She had stunning red hair that reminded me of a cherry.

"Can you walk?" She asked. I nodded, and stood up. "I need you to come with me."

We both walked out of the room and I looked down at my arms, noticing something new that wasn't there before. There, on my arms, were pink rashes. Burn marks.

**o-o-o**

**Sorry I updated this so late. Just: school. Yeah.**

**Review Replies:**

_**Seth Clearwater**_**: Hope? Haha, you should know that he will talk to Johnny more. Johnny is actually a big part of the story.**

_**Candie Winston**_**: Every one of your reviews make me blush /. You're not stupid. I actually forgot what the name of the disorder he had until another reviewer pointed it out for me. Hehe. I hope this chapter helps explained what happened to him more.**

_**Goldenthorns**_**: I have a feeling you ship JohnnyXPonyboy. If you do, you're probably happy that Ponyboy was the second person he talked too since coming to the hospital. I hope that chapter this helps a lot on explaining what happened.**

_**Nadine1231966: **_**Thank you!**

_**One-Tuff-Cookie723: **_**Really? I thought it was a pretty lame ending. . I guess not now. Thank you.**

_**Guest: **_**That's the disorder that I forgot the name of! Yeah, he is. :D Thanks for telling me the name.**


	4. Chapter 4

My medicine raddled as I tossed it up in the air. I was bored. There is nothing to do. I thought about visiting Johnny, but Steve sent me off, saying that Johnny cannot always have me hanging around. I could not find Two-Bit anywhere. That leaves Soda.

I threw the small bottle, which contained two pills, up in the air one more time before pocketing it and leaving my room. It has only been a few weeks, but I memorized the floorplans of most of the floors in the hospital. But finding someone would be hard. Not only is most of the people here wearing similar garbs, but everyone was moving around, doing small activities.

That's when I saw someone out of place than the others. Soda was slouched forward, hand on the wall, and a flirty smile on his face. His eyes were filled with lust. In front of him was a beautiful woman, a small smile on her face. She was wearing a nurse's outfit.

I could just barely make out some of the words they were saying from where I stood. "Sandy…you are… and…you."

The girl, who must have been Sandy, blushed as Soda leaned in to whisper something in her ear. He then leaned forward and planted a small kiss on the corner of her mouth. I could feel my ears going red. I have no business here. I spun around and walked the other way.

Something about Soda was not right. It was like he was a different person. Another persona. That must have been the womanizer that Soda was talking about.

I walked towards the direction of Johnny's room. Maybe I could talk to Johnny now.

When I got there, Steve was walking out of the room. We locked eyes before he trudged off with a groan. He must really hate this job.

I entered the room. "Hey, Johnny!" I greeted. Johnny looked up from his corner, relaxing a bit. But he did not answer back. I sat down in front of him. "Do something. I'm bored out of my mind."

Amusement flashed in Johnny's dull eyes but it was instantly changed into curiosity and worry when a flash of that fire went through my head. I guess my expression changed.

"What's…wrong…?" He croaked out.

I shook my head. "It's really nothing." I rubbed my arms. The feeling of being watched was back. My eyes observed the room. It felt like the shadows were moving around.

A feeble hand touched my arm. I did not have to look to know who it was. I took a deep breath. Johnny was going to make me spill.

"Well… during the confession… they made me try to remember my past and I think I did…but… it was way too surreal. There was fire everywhere, my dad… Oh, Johnny, I don't know what to think. It can't be true…"

"Go find…out."

I nodded. "You're right. I'll go check out my files. See you later?"

Johnny gave me a tight smile and nodded. I stood up from the ground and left the room, walking to the front desk stealthily.

"Marcia?" I asked once I was there. The front desk was vacant. With a shrug, I walked behind the desk and to the file counter where I thumbed through the files until I found one labeled my name. I pulled it out, looking around once more, and opened it. The paper clipped to the first page was a school picture of myself. I scanned through the page.

_Ponyboy Michael Curtis_

_Birthday: July 22, 1952_

_Current School: Will Rogers High School_

_Disorder: Schizophrenia _

_Siblings: None_

_Mother: Sarah Lucy Curtis (deceased)_

_Father: David Darrel Curtis (deceased)_

I froze at the information. Both of my parents were dead? But… didn't Darry say otherwise? Was he lying? My knuckles started to turn white as they tightened around the file. How did they die? My mind shouted warnings at me to not go any further, but I just had too. I flipped to the next page where a newspaper article was cut out.

_Wednesday, Sarah Curtis was killed in an accident. Both her and her son, Ponyboy, were seated in the car, driving down the freeway when their car swerved out of control and fell down a trench, flipping a few times before landing on the bottom. Besides the car, there was only one casualty: Sarah Curtis. Her son left the accident with only a few scars. But, Ponyboy Curtis, before put in an ambulance, got up and disappeared._

Memories flashed in my head from that day. I was in the passenger's seat; my mom was driving. I was reading a book… Gone with the Wind? I looked up from the book to look at the setting sun and out at the end of my vision there was a small silhouette. As we drove closer, I started to see what it was more clearly. It was that man I saw in that vision in the fire. I remembered shouting at mom to watch out for him; she only screamed in surprise and looked at me confused. I was so puzzled at her reaction, but I had to do something. I grabbed the wheel, swerving it to one side to avoid hitting him, but the car went too far and then everything went black.

I killed her? I killed my mom…

My breath shook as I turned to the next article.

_Wednesday, the house that belongs to Sarah Curtis and David Curtis, with their son, Ponyboy, was lit aflame. A few hours after the disappearance of Ponyboy, the house caught on fire. It was found that this was not a coincidence. David Curtis was home that day, as told the neighbors, when Ponyboy ran in the house bloodied up. It was a few minutes later when they had heard a scream emit from the house and loud noises. It was soon after when the house caught on fire, quickly spreading. Moments later, firefighters and ambulances came to the scene. The alive body of Ponyboy Curtis was carried out and taken away, but the body of the father was not found. He was cremated in the house during the fire._

By now, tears were falling down my cheeks. He killed them? Both of his parents were killed on the same day.

"Ponyboy?"

I looked past my shoulders and saw Darry there, a worried look on his face. This expression angered me to no end. Why would _he_ be feeling sorry for _me? _"You lied to me!" I snapped, turning around and marching up to the larger man. Darry looked at the file in my pallid hands and he came into realization.

"Listen—"

"No! I'm done listening to you! You told me that they were okay! You told me I was here because of a fight! Is everything you had said to me a lie?"

When I looked in Darry's collected eyes, I saw a mixture of both that man from the fire and him. I threw the file at his face and threw a swift punch. Darry looked surprised, cradling his soon-to-be bruised face. But the phase did not last long. Darry quickly pressed a button on the desk and in seconds, I was pinned to the floor by other councilors.

I can just hear that _man's_ cackles as I was brought back up to my feet and forced down the hallway. I squirmed and struggled against the hold, but one teen can only do so much.

"Let me go!" I growled. Patients pushed out of the way, some joining to watch my departure. My teary eyes scanned the crowd.

He was everywhere. That man was in my line of sight, everywhere I looked. Why couldn't anyone see him? My eyes caught a hold of Soda's eyes. His eyes were wide. I gave him a pleading look for help. He caught on. In front on my eyes, Soda's face changed completely. His shocked look turned into a scowl.

Dean.

The persona marched to the captors, glaring them down. They froze in place, eyes wide in fear. They have all seen 'Dean'. Dean lashed out, punching one strait in the jaw and elbowing another. The grip on me loosened and I broke free, stumbling to the cold ground. Before me, Dean kicked ass. It seemed like no one was a match for him. Then a girl pushed through everyone. Sandy. Behind her back, she held a needle. Dean's attention turned to her, diverting his attention from the councilors who jumped on him, pinning him down. Dean spat out curses that made me cringe. Around us, patients were cheering, wanting more action. But it looked to be over soon, and Sandy brought the needle closer to Dean's neck.

The shrilling squeak of a door, stopped everyone. The point of the syringe was only a few centimeters away from soft skin. I turned around, following the sound. The door to Johnny's room opened. At first, I thought it was Steve. But the figure that peeked out was not quite as tall as him. A dark-toned skin young man looked out.

"Johnny," I breathed out.

**o-o-o**

**Notes:**

**-'That man' will continued to be referenced to that guy Ponyboy keeps seeing. He is not an actual person. Just someone that Ponyboy imagined at set up lies with that frightened him. More is revealed later.**

**-Since the book never actually referenced Ponyboy's parents, I had to make up names, so sorry if you think the name should be otherwise.**

**-Soda is obviously really protective over Ponyboy. Like the book, they are like brothers (but they are bros in the book) even though they recently just met.**

**-Time is obviously moving quickly and already has been a month or so since Ponyboy arrived. Thus, Johnny's relationship with him is pretty tight.**

**-Dally will be further introduced soon.**

**Thank you!**

**Replies:**

_**The Curtis Crew**_**: I'm just going to just…say…okay! I don't really know how to react to your review. It confuses me.**

_**Seth Clearwater**_**: I hope this chapter answers more questions.**

_**Guest**_**: I just looked through to what you were talking about and I face palmed. Omg. Those small mistakes are going to bug me to my grave now. I'll be more careful. Thank you for pointing that out to me. I'm actually not planning on getting a Beta because of time purposes and the fact that I want to feel the satisfactory of finding the errors that I do find. I'm getting better at finding them. That's an improvement.**

_**Chick1966**_**: OKAAAYYYY! :D**

_**Goldenthorns**_**: I figured that was you. No harm. . Yeah, they're my notp too. Omg… do I even have an otp from the book…? I guess not. I just flow with what I feel like I guess.**

_**Candie Winston: **_**You're not the only one who feels stupid! I'm in the same boat! Haha. I feel so honored that I'm the reason you're here. Seriously I am. I notice the changes in fanfiction in the TO fandom too. It all slowed down and makes me sad because they're all really the same idea over and over again. When I come up with idea I'm just like, "bitches, I'm doing this!", to my school friends.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow, that was a long break. Sorry. I was super busy :( But on with the chapter!**

**o-o-o**

Johnny's eyes locked onto mine and I could tell that he was scared. What is he doing outside? Johnny slowly stepped out of his room. Others were shocked at his appearance. In full lighting, Johnny looked quite dead. He looked like he was going to be sick. His legs shook from lack of use, eyes roaming to each face of the patients and councilors.

"P…" Johnny tried to find words, but none would form. His form shook as everyone stared intently at him. Pity took ahold of my actions and I rushed over to him and placed a hand on his quivering shoulder. He flinched at my touch, eyes snapping towards me. After realizing who was touching him, he relaxed a bit. I would have gave him a smile if it wasn't for the situation that we were in.

"Johnny?" Steve stepped out from the crowd, eyes wide. He was not expecting this. "What are you doing out here?" Johnny ducked his head in shame.

"C…" Johnny's mouth opened again and he struggled once more.

After more people recovered from shock, Dean pulled out of reach and crossed his arms. "Never, put your hands on me again," Dean growled.

"If you come with us, there would be no problem," one of the councilors said. He pointed at me. "You too, boy."

I looked at Johnny and gave him a look that said, "We'll talk later." He nodded and inched towards his room, closing the door like he had never left in the first place. I looked back at Dean who didn't look pleased about the situation I put him in. We both reluctantly followed the councilors deeper in the hospital. The farther we went, the lonelier it got. The vacant hallways made our footsteps echo.

They stopped in front of a door which they opened, and nudged me inside. I walked in, expecting the others to come in also, but they stayed outside the room. One of them turned on the lights and I gasped.

Were they going to keep me in this room? The walls of the room were cushioned and my feet sunk into the floor. How long were they going to keep me in here?

"We're going to keep you in there until you calm down, alright?"

"What? I am calm. You can't keep me in here!" I started to panic.

"Relax. We'll probably let you out in about ten minutes."

Without a further question, they closed the door and I could hear it lock from the other side. With a shaky breath I went to the corner of the room and sat down. I shouldn't be in here. It was Darry's fault. This wouldn't have happened if he kept this from me. But what would I have done if I knew back then? More tears have found their way to my eyes. What do I do after they release me from this place? I have nowhere to go. Will they send me to an orphanage? Will I be released? Will I stay here?

The lights flickered out which snapped my attention away from my knees. The room was flooded by darkness. The only light was from the doors. I stood up, walking over to it. "Hello?" I called out. "The lights went out." But no one answered on the other side.

A hand touched my shoulder and I whipped around, heart beating quickly. "Who's there?" I asked. No answer. I could feel eyes glaring at me. Someone was in here. But that doesn't make sense. I would have for sure known they entered. I shook my head. The person was just my imagination. It had to be. I closed my eyes tightly, ignoring the tug at my clothing and the heavy beatings of my heart. When I opened them again, the lights were on like nothing happened.

The door opened and the councilor that put me in smiled at me, motioning myself out. I was glad to leave. What felt like an hour was only seven minutes.

I made a bee-line to Johnny's room. After that short time, all I could think about was him. Not only could I talk to him about what happens without judgment, but we could talk about why he left his room. Opening the door to his room, I stepped in, instantly finding Johnny back in his corner.

"Hey, Johnny." I greeted. He looked up and relief passed his eyes. I sat down in front of him.

"Hey…" He answered quietly.

"So how are you feeling? I mean, you left your room!"

Johnny's ears started to turn red at my comment but he shook his head. His body was tense and I knew he did not want to talk about it. "What happened to you?" He decided on asking.

I opened my mouth to answer. I had to talk to someone about it… But can I? I had to tell him, or I will break down. Tears welded up in my eyes and I took a shaky breath. "Y-You know when I was told that my parents were okay?"

Johnny nodded.

"I…I…" I couldn't do it. I can't bring myself to talk about it. I was stupid to think that I was ready to talk right after I found out.

"It's okay… You can talk to me…"

"It's just that… I found out that they are… d-dead."

"O-Oh…"

"And," my tears started to fall from my eyes, "I… I think I killed them…"

"W-What?" Johnny stammered, eyes growing wide.

"I don't know. I'm starting to remember and I read my files… But I don't know why I did it. I saw something… a man… and he's following me… I saw him in each of my memories…"

I couldn't stop my tears now. I probably looked frail. Feeble. Craven. But I can't stop. I killed my parents and I couldn't even stop myself. I'm at fault.

"Ponyboy! It's okay… If you couldn't help it, it's not your fault."

"But it is, Johnny!"

"No… It has to be another's fault…"

"What do you mean?" I wiped away the stray tears.

"Someone from your past probably caused your—"

The door opened and Steve popped in. "Hey, Johnny," he greeted. Johnny shut his mouth, cutting his sentence short. Steve sighed and leaned against the door. "Still can't talk to me, huh?"

Johnny averted his attention back to the floor. I stood up, knowing that our conversation had ended for today. "Bye." I said and started to leave, turning my attention down so that Steve couldn't see my eyes. He was the last person that I wanted to see me in this condition. I just don't want to deal with him right now.

"Hey, kid, are you crying?" He asked.

I pretended not to hear him and left the room.

**o-o-o**

The next few days passed slowly. Everything was just the same. I didn't feel like I was getting better. I felt like a trapped prisoner but with more privileges. It was hard to watch the sunset from my room and I had to go with a councilor to be able to go outside. When I'm indoors, the only thing that I enjoy is talking with Soda or Johnny or reading the books Darry gets me. Nothing changes – until one day.

"What? You want to leave your room?"

**o-o-o**

**Replies:**

**Seth Clearwater: Thank you. I hope Ponyboy is okay too. I don't know, I'm kind of just rambling this work from the top of my head. Bad habit. :p**

**The Curtis Crew: I hope you liked this chapter too!**

**bee: Oh, thank you! I appreciate that comment! :D But I seriously think that the mentally ill are the same as anyone else but more…fragile – if that's the word to use. I had a friend that was in one of these hospitals and she told me a lot about it so I'm coming off of her descriptions.**

**Guest: No! Don't die! *falls slowly to knees* Noooooo!**


	6. Chapter 6

Johnny hesitantly stepped out of the comfort of his lonely room. He stayed closely behind me – I can feel his breath against my skin. Johnny trembled as he took another step out. Others that passed looked at him weirdly, none of them really recognized the darker skinned boy.

"It's alright, I'm here," I informed, giving him an encouraging smile. Johnny did not return one back, but I knew he heard me from the slight relaxation in his body. I led him out from the dim hallway and out in the open. Johnny squinted his eyes from the change of light.

"Johnny?" Two-Bit came out of the cafeteria doors, eyes wide. Johnny hid behind me, looking more afraid. Two-Bit turned to me for answers.

"Johnny wanted to come out, can you believe it?" I said.

"_He _wanted to leave?" Two-Bit was shocked, not really knowing what to do.

"Yeah."

Two-Bit smiled big, running away without a warning. "Wait there. Let me get Steve!" He called back at us.

"You alright, Johnny?" I asked as Johnny stepped away from me. He nodded, not uttering a word. I guess – no, I knew – he was scared. "Do you want to go back?" He shook his head. The two waited in the open for Two-Bit to return. People that passed didn't give Johnny a second look as they minded their own business. It was minutes later when Two-Bit practically pranced back with Steve at hold.

"I'm telling you that he's out!" Two-Bit yelled, voice echoing off the walls.

"That's impossible. Why would Johnny leave his room?" Steve snapped back. Once they got to the two, Steve's mouth dropped. "Holy crap…"

Johnny looked away.

"You… left your room, but you can't talk to me still?" He continued. Johnny scooted closer to me. "Not even a nod?" No reply. I almost wanted to laugh at Steve's defeated sigh. It was funny how Johnny would talk to me and feel comfortable around me – especially in a short amount of time. While Steve has been trying for years and made little to no progress.

Steve started to talk to Two-Bit and I about Johnny and I could tell that my friend was drifting off, ignoring what we were saying. His eyes examined everyone that past us until I felt his body stiffen but still shaking. His hand grabbed a bungle of my shirt and my conversation – well, tease—with Steve ceased.

"Johnny?" I asked, but got no response. He kept looking at a fixed spot. I followed his eyes to an older teen, around Soda's age. The young man had a cocky attitude. He brought his hands to his hair. I could see this his skin was paler in spots on his fingers. It looked like his hands tanned around rings and he had to recently take them off. He was standing in front of the councilor, Randy. "Johnny, what's wrong?" But Johnny didn't seem to hear me. I turned to Steve, questionably.

Steve looked at the young man. "That's Robert Sheldon, or Bob. He actually came here a bit before you did. I never really learned much about him besides the fact that his family is rich. They even bought him his own room. He's spoiled."

I looked back at Johnny worriedly. What was up with him? Why was he acting that way? Does he know Bob?

Johnny's skin was white, eyes wide. Bob seemed to sense the look and turned to look at Johnny. Recognition flashed in his eyes and Bob smirked. The next thing I knew was Johnny breathing hard, body wavering, eyes dilating, and he fell over unconscious.

"Johnny?" I yelled. Steve pushed by me to the unconscious boy, scooping him up, and cursing under his breath. Steve then ran through the hallways towards the clinic. I didn't follow. I turned my attention back to Bob who was staring at me. Shivers went down my spine and I felt fear. Something about him unnerved me. He looked dangerous, like he could lash out at me at any moment. I don't like him.

"Come on, Ponyboy. Let's check on Johnny." Two-Bit snapped me out of thought and I nodded, glad to leave. We walked – more like jogged – to the clinic. Inside, Johnny was lying on a white bed. Cherry was looking over him, giving him checkups.

"He's fine. He just passed out from stress. He just needs sleep and he'll be okay in no time," she explained.

Minutes later both Two-Bit and Steve left the clinic but I stayed just in case Johnny wakes up. I gazed down at his face. He looked peaceful in his sleep. Almost like a different person than the scared shell that I normally encounter. His face looked young, trouble-free. I wish I could be like that. But I had other things on my mind. Steve had once told me that Johnny's case was unsolved because Johnny never talked about it, let alone talk to people. By the way he acted it would seem like Bob had something to do with it. Was he the reason why Johnny was stuck here? The reason why he's like the way he is?

I bit my lips. Should I try to figure everything out? Would Johnny like this? Would this help him? Should I stick my nose in that business? Should I leave everything alone?

A figure stood in the corner of the room. He chuckled. I whipped around to face him. When did he get there? Besides the nurses and Johnny, I should be the only one in the clinic.

"Bob?" I gulped. He glared at me, eyes sharp and hard. No, he couldn't be there. He was my imagination.

Bob took a step forward.

My imagination.

Another step.

My imagination!

Another.

He's not real.

Another.

My imagination.

He stood in front of me.

But then why does he seem so real?

His hands started to reach towards me. Slowly. My heart beat was thrashing in my chest. My back pressed until it could not be pressed any further in the chair that I sat in.

"Ponyboy? Are you still here?" Cherry, the nurse, asked walking in front of the bed. I blinked, Bob disappearing, breathing hard. Cherry frowned worriedly. "Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I-I'm fine," I answered, heart slowing down.

"If you say so. If you need anything, don't hesitate to come here. Now, why don't you go back to your room or get dinner."

I nodded, standing up, taking one look at Johnny. He doesn't look like he would be waking up anytime soon. I might as well leave. "Alright, thank you. Bye." She smiled, waving me off. I left the clinic to go to the cafeteria. I haven't ate lunch so I was starving.

Inside the cafeteria, I instantly zeroed in on the gang that I hand out with. On my way over to them, I made sure to collect my food. Right when I sat down, words were flung at me. "So, Johnny did leave his room?" Darry asked. "Or are these two playing a prank?"

"He exited his room," I confirmed, taking a bit from my apple.

"He did what?" A new voice asked that gave me chills. I spun around to look at who spoke, swallowing the large chunk that was in my mouth.

"Dally, can you believe it? Johnny wanted to leave his room," Soda explained, giving him a smile that didn't falter.

"He left his room?" Dally growled. "Where is he?"

"The infirmary," Two-Bit replied. "He fainted after seeing this guy… what's his name again?"

"Bob," Steve answered.

"That bastard? Where is he?"

Darry and Steve both stood up from their seats. "If you are planning on harming another patient, think again," Darry said. Dally growled, looking around the cafeteria as if he did not see the two standing in his way. He spotted Randy who was also looking around the cafeteria and pushed past the two councilors, swiping at their attempts to halt him.

"Hey, Randy!" He shouted. Randy turned to him. "Where the hell is that son of a bitch you call a patient?"

"I don't know," Randy answered, crossing his arms.

"You don't know? Stop trying to protect him."

"I seriously don't know! I came here to look for him."

"What's going on?" Darry asked.

"Bob's missing."

**o-o-o**

**Pony'sgirlfriend: How long was it since I last updated. I haven't posted for a week or two. O.o It's better than how long it takes for others to update. Sorry for taking a long time. .**

**Seth Clearwater: We're almost to the point where we figure out who he is. Almost.**

**Guest: I'll make you wait more in suspense now.**

**The Curtis Crew: Really? I thought that chapter was really bad. So, thank you. :D**

**MysteryFury: Will do.**


	7. Chapter 7

Randy walked to the front desk, me lagging behind. It wasn't my business, but what else were you supposed to do here?

"Marcia?" Randy asked. Marcia spun around on her chair with a smile.

"Yes, Randle?"

"Can I check Bob's files?"

Marcia frowned, shaking her head. "Bob was checked out not too long ago. The files were taken."

"What? Are you sure? Why wouldn't I have been informed of this?"

"Oh… You weren't? I was sure that someone would inform you."

"Who came to release him?"

Marcia flipped through her notebook. "A man named... Aaron Wright?"

"Aaron Wright? Shouldn't he have been released by a parent?"

Since the conversation was going nowhere, Randy left. Exasperated, he dragged a hand through his hair. I moved out of the way when he passed me. When Randy walked out of sight, I walked down the hallway to Johnny's room to tell him about what happened in the past few minutes. As I near, a muffled scream caught my attention. It came from Johnny's room. I rushed to his door, wiggling the door knob. It was locked. Screams kept emitting from the room. I pounded on the door.

"Johnny?" I asked, panicked. But, of course, there was no answer. I stepped away from the door and started to run. I scanned the people I passed until I recognized a face. "Dally!"

He turned to face me. "What, kid?"

"Jo-Johnny… screams… locked door—" Those were the only words that came out clearly but it was all Dally needed. Dally sped to Johnny's room. I followed close behind. He came upon the door, shaking the knob before growling. The screams stopped but there was shuffling. Dally pounded on the door before running back and tackled it, sending the door flying open.

In the room was a tall man caring Johnny in his arms. I froze. It was _him_. The man that I saw in my memories was standing in the middle of the room.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Dally snapped.

The man smiled, walking forward like there weren't people blocking his way.

"Get the others," Dally ordered. But I was frozen in place. "Kid! Get the others!"

The man laughed, staring at me. "Long time no see, Ponyboy. I see that you remember me. Well at least your body still does. Your mind doesn't. Your mind is protecting you for what I did to you. Protecting you from the explicit of your parent's deaths. Protecting you from this place."

"W-What?" I asked, my breathing was getting faster and it felt like my body was on a wooden roller coaster.

"You've been here before. Remember?"

At those words, my head started to pound. My vision started to become blurry – the focusing going in and out.

"Kid?" Dally asked, but I could barely hear him. "Kid!"

There was a laugh but I couldn't place it. A million questions ran through my head at the speed of lightning. But one phrase stood out from the others: he was going to kill you.

Then, the ground came to meet me and everything went black.

_Screams escaped my lips as I struggled against the restraints around my wrists and ankles._

"_Please… Stop…" I whimpered, eyes irritated from the tears that dried. But another wave of pain spread through my body from my arm and another scream escaped me. His face looked down at me, a doctor's mask covering a sly smile. He held up a bloody saw. I squeezed my eyes shut as the blade came closer to my arm. It slid across my skin, just enough for it to bleed. Then he traced the line again, pressing deep inside._

"_Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop!" I screamed. He lifted the blade from my arm, glaring, and unstrapped the binds. He picked me up from my bloody arm and I screamed, trying to weakly get away. The grip got tighter, fingers digging into the deep cut, stretching the skin wider apart. I was dragged until he reached a cooler where he threw me into. The lid was slammed closed, leaving me in eternal darkness. I could hear chains wrap around the cooler and a lock snapping._

_Even though I knew that it was useless, I pushed my hands against the top. "L-Let me out!" I pleaded. I pushed but nothing happened. Newfound tears found their way down my face. My fingers dragged against the box, closer to my body. But they stopped when they fit right into a gap in the cooler. My breath hitched in my throat when I felt around the area more. It felt like nails have been dragged through that spot over and over. I screamed, removing my hands like I had touched a hot stove._

"_Let me out!"_

"Let me out! Let me out!" I screamed, snapping my eyes open. I sat up, expecting to bang my head on the lid, but I hit air.

"Finally, you're awake."

My attention snapped towards the voice but my vision was still blurry. I wasn't in the cooler anymore – much to my relief. But I was in the operating room where I was before. No – No – No. I cowered and scooted backwards, my back hitting something. I spun around, pushing myself away from what I hit. My back had touched cold, iron bars. Once again, I spun around. More bars. I spun around in a circle. Bars were surrounding me. I looked up. A lid. I'm in a cage. I'm trapped. Once again, my breath started to get faster.

"Kid, calm down!"

Dally? Was that him?

"I-I c-can't be t-trapped h-here! I n-need to g-get out!" I grabbed the bars, shaking them.

"Kid! Breathe! You're fine!"

"Ponyboy…"

The soft voice jolted me from the cage and I once again looked towards the source of the voice. I closed my eyes in concentration before reopening them. Johnny was on the other side of the cage, looking at me with worried eyes. Johnny was trapped in a cage next to me – Dally in the one to the left of me and a beaten up Bob on the other side of Johnny.

My heartbeat slowed down as I took a couple of shaky breaths. "What… What happened?" I managed to ask.

"When I opened the fucking door to Johnny's room, the man that had a hold of him looked straight at you and then you started to have this panic attack,' Dally answered. "When you passed out, they injected me and then I ended up here in this lame-assed cage."

The door opened and the man Dally was talking about walked in. "Ponyboy, you're finally awake! Good! We can finish where we left off."

I froze, remembering the pain and torture I've been through.

"What are you going to do with us?" Dally asked, glaring at him.

"I think Ponyboy can answer this one."

Indeed, I can. "H-He's going to experiment on us. He's going to torture us by cutting into us, locking us up, burning us."

"My experiments are coming along nicely. I have the perfect source of test subjects here. Since this is a mental hospital, it would be easy to say that the patient that had gone missing committed suicide. Especially if the parents or guardians don't come and visit anymore. And if the test subject lives and escapes, no one would believe them if they tried to tell anyone. They would be sent strait back here where I can continue my work."

"You'll get caught. My parents—" Bob wheezed out but was cut off.

"Your parents what, Robert? I can kill you right now and send your body to the morgue. Then put your files back in the cabinet and tell little Marcia about your coming back and suicide. Your parents wouldn't suspect a thing. Your case will never be touched.

"Now, let's start. I want to see all of your reactions to what I'm going to do to you. I've already started on Robert here." He opened Bob's cage dragging the beaten teen out and dropping him on a table, strapping down. The man picked up a metal stick that's been sitting in a bucket with fire sprouting from it. He then pressed the sharp tip in Bob's shoulder and all I could hear were screams.

**o-o-o**

**Replies:**

**Pony'sgirlfriend- Haha. It's fine. The month's been slow.**

**Guest- Aw! Thank you :D I try. I love to write stories like this because it's something new. All of the fanfics for TO are usually the same so I try to make mine stand out. I also had years of writing and people usually read this when there in eighth grade so… Yeah. Your review made me really happy.**

**Seth Clearwater: Thank you! :D**

**staygold-fandom- I'm so glad you read this :) I can tell why you were skeptical about this. Thank you for the compliments.**

**The Curtis Crew- I agree. I was feeling lazy and I needed to update something so I just published that. I hope this chapter turned out better.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Darry's POV…**

I yawned. It was finally the end of the day. All that was left is to check up on Ponyboy and Soda and make sure they made it to bed. I rapped on the door before opening it. My eyes immediately zoomed in on the lump on Soda's bed then to Ponyboy's. No lump. Where the hell was that boy? Curfew was a half hour ago. I walked up to Soda, shaking him awake. Soda grumbled, peeking out at him from one eye.

"Mmm?" Soda grumbled.

"Have you seen Ponyboy?"

"Pony? No… Why?"

"He's not in bed."

"What?"

I bit my lip. "This is important. When was the last time you saw him?"

I knew that Ponyboy stuck to Soda, Two-Bit, or Johnny and Ponyboy was smart enough to come back to his room or to not leave. But what if he did try to leave?

"This morning."

Blood running cold, I ran out of the room. "Sound the alarms."

In seconds the corridors filled up with red light and rushing people.

"Hey, Superman." Steve jogged up to me. "What happened?"

"Ponyboy's missing."

Steve shook his head. "He's not the only one that's missing. Johnny and Dally are too."

**o-o-o**

**Ponyboy's POV…**

My hands were clamped over my ears, eyes squeezed shut. I tried to imagine myself in another place: home. Yeah, that seems nice. Home. I thought about sitting in my room, book in hand, wrapped up in a blanket. I thought about the pat on my head each morning before having to go to school. The warm smile before being forced to the hellhole. The hellhole that maybe was where my schizophrenia completely developed. Developed like the cliques in school; like the weak circle of freaks each with faces that were the wrong answer on a test. My face was also the smudge left behind.

The screams that passed through my fingers were just like mine when I was dragged inside the closet. My screams made it feel like my throat was tightening. Made it feel like the noose – the only thing holding me up in this world—was about to snap my neck.

Words were growled and they really got to me. I tried to lock them out, but in reality I was only locking myself in with the insults.

I had no clue of how long I stayed in the dark closet with the bullies looming over me when the door opened, flooding the closet with light brighter than a flash of lightning. The kids scrambled away from me, eyes wide like they were deer caught in headlights. After getting over the phase they bolted out of the room, leaving me and the man behind. The man with the bloodstained garbs almost invisible to the eye. But I saw it. I saw the red blood on his white clothes causing black stains. I saw his fingers twitch uneasily. I saw his eyes follow mine to his clothes. And I have never seen anything more terrifying.

I had to open my eyes again to block the memory from appearing in my head. Then: silence. Only a sharp inhale and a groan sounded. I peaked my eyes towards the medical table, regretting it. Bob wasn't moving; wasn't breathing. He was dead.

Bob's body was lifted up and throw in the fire pit. All I could do was watch in horror as the fire consumed his body, the room filling up with the smell of burning flesh.

"Who wants to go next?"

_Survival of the fittest… _As soon as I thought that, I felt guilty. Why did I think that? Was I really that afraid that I would make sure that I would push them towards that madman? What was I thinking? It's not like it would change anything if they were placed on the table before me. We will all end up dead in the end. He will not be caught. Our bodies will not be found or recognized. We will all be turned to ashes.

The flames that flickered nearby smiled at me, motioning me with its ghastly hands. It's calm demeanor and warm eyes gave me chills. I didn't want to grasp its hand, letting it hug me in its arms. I want to move farther away.

_Someone… help me…_

The lock to my cage jangled, door swinging open. A hand grabbed my arm and dragged me out. I struggled against the psychopaths hold, trying to rip myself free – trying to save myself. I squirmed in his hold, only making the grip tighter. I kicked my leg, trying to come in contact with him. Finally, I bit down on his hand, making me taste his blood. He yelped, dropping me instinctively.

"You little bitch!" He cursed and went out to reach for me again. But I scrambled up to my feet and sprinted towards the door, fiddling with the lock. I had to open this lock to free myself from the room. Free myself from torture. I can't stay trapped here any longer. I swung open the door, a hand grabbing onto my clothes, but I elbowed back on what was behind me. There was a crack and then I stepped out of the room, slamming the door behind me and I ran down a hallway, not knowing where I was going. An alarm blared, but I passed that off as nothing.

"Whoa! Ponyboy?" I had bumped into Two-Bit. "You okay? What happened?"

"T-Two-Bit." I stumbled with my words, hands still shaking.

"Everyone was searching for you. Where were you?"

"There you are! Where the heck were you?" Darry stomped over to us, glaring. But I couldn't think straight. I kept thinking back to Johnny and Dally, how I left them behind for my safety. I could have saved them.

"Jo-Johnny and D-Dally—"

"What about them?"

"Taken—"

"By whom?"

"Golly, Darry, let the boy speak!" Cherry said, walking over worriedly. She placed a comforting hand on my shoulder and I'll be lying if I didn't say that it didn't comfort me. I took a deep breath. I explained what I just went through.

"What do we do?" I whimpered.

Two-Bit laughed at my question. "I know what we can do."

**o-o-o**

**I just realized there** **is only going to be one more chapter. I'm sort of relieved in the same time sad. This fanfiction kept getting me into writer's block situations and I'm glad I won't have to deal with that. But I'm sad that some of my readers won't read my future stories. But at least I know some of you will :) My Outsider family, love you all. 3**

**Also! A Poll is now up on my profile for my next fanfiction. So that's a thing. You should check that out.**

**Replies:**

**Pony'sgirlfriend: You'll have to read and find out . As much as I love to give out spoilers, I must not.**

**staygold-fandom: Aaron Wright is THE man. The whole director and tormentor. **

**The Curtis Crew: Thanks, I tried .**

**Seth Clearwater: You'll see if they do next chapter.**


	9. Chapter 9

The plan was all together really simple. Soda would go around to see if anyone would help cause an uproar. Cherry and Darry would be the witness. Two-Bit will be the starter of the uproar. And I will go to a fire alarm to call for the firemen to check the whole building where they would find what the owner doing his crimes. Steve's job was to make sure they don't escape the room when the firemen come. They all broke and I leaned against the wall to wait for my signal.

Two-Bit started to scream and I could just vaguely see him on top of a table. There was a crash and another. Soda walked over and whispered in a few patient's ears. Most of them looked at him like he was crazy when his lips moved away from their ears and ignored him. Some of them looked excited and started to act just like Two-Bit. Everything from there started to become hectic. More and more patients noticed the uproar and jointed it— although most just danced in place, confused in what's really going on. Councilors, physiatrists, and nurses scurried around trying to calm everyone down.

Sandy ran up to Soda with a questioning look. I couldn't hear them talk but all of a sudden, Soda's face dropped. His eyes darkened and he shoved her away and marched off. Sandy just stared at him with scared eyes before running off. What just happened?

Soda punched the wall, causing a huge hole. I wanted to go over him; check if he's alright, but I heard the signal to push the fire alarm. I went over to the fire alarm, pressing down the lever. A screeching, repetitive beep. The building flashed red. I turned to find Soda but he had disappeared.

Minutes later there was sirens coming from inside and thumps of footsteps. Firemen barged in the room, telling everyone to leave. We all left the building in a cluster. The last one out in the courtyard was Steve. Everyone was silent as the firemen checked where the fire was. A fireman ran out to a truck, doing something that I couldn't see. The man made no movement and no announcement.

During that time, I made my way to Soda who was at a distance from everyone. His arms were crossed over his chest. "Soda?" I asked. He did not acknowledge me. Was that even him? I've never seen Soda wear that face. I tried again. "Dean?" His eyes flickered to me.

"What the fuck do you want, kid?" he growled.

"What happened?"

"Get out of my business."

"No. Tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong!"

"Liar. Does it have something to do with Sandy?" He glowered when I spoke her name. So it does.

"She's a slutty bitch…"

"What did she do?"

Dean told me what he said to her: how this hospital was going to close down and what they should do after that happened. Sandy told him that she was leaving with her boyfriend.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, not knowing what else to say.

Sirens grew louder as police cars sped in the parking lot. Armed men marched out of their cars, guns in hand and rushed inside— a few behind to ask questions. They walked first to the fireman that awaited their arrival, then went to each of the workers. They didn't bother to ask any of the patients—they probably thought that we would be delusional. The rest of the firemen came out, loading their trucks.

What felt like several minutes passed until the ambulances unloaded and paramedics pushed two gurneys inside. When they came out again, two bloody bodies of Johnny and Dally were loaded on the stretchers. Johnny wasn't moving; his eyes were closed. Huge gashes littered his body. He disappeared in the ambulance which sped off. Dally was awake; breathing heavily. He looked at me with cold eyes, our eyes locked until the doors of the ambulance closed.

Seconds after the ambulance drove away, the doors to the hospital were pushed open and armed men marched out with a man in handcuffs. The man screamed, struggling against their holds. Everyone once again moved so they can pass. When they passed me, the man looked me in the eye with so much hatred that my breath hitched, time freezing around me. Everything turned grey except for him and I. Behind him bodies appeared, all carrying different wounds. I recognized my father, all burnt up, and my mother, body torn, in the group. They stood looking at me along with a few others that I saw die because of that man.

A hand landed on my shoulder and time resumed. "You alright?" Two-Bit asked. I nodded.

"YOU! I WILL KILL YOU! I WILL FUCKING MURDER YOU, YOU BASTARD! I WILL GET OUT AND KILL YOU!" He screamed at me. I flinched back in fear. I didn't doubt that he could. The police pushed him along and into the back of the car. They boarded their vehicles and drove off. My body relaxed. He was gone, finally gone. Hopefully he wasn't going to come back.

"Alright, everyone back inside. The problem will soon be resolved," someone called. When everyone was shaded from the sun, Darry walked up to me, a grim look on his face.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's Johnny. They don't think he's going to make it."

Darry drove me to the hospital after pleading. He took me to Johnny's room where I found him lying in a bed, still unconscious. A breathing tube ran in his nostrils and he was connected to the IV. Bandages wrapped around his frail body.

"Johnny!" I called, going next to his body. He didn't move. "Johnny!"

"He's in a coma," the doctor said, walking in the room with a clipboard in his hands.

"Johnny!" Tears rimmed my eyes. This was my fault. I brought this on him. I could have saved him.

"Calm down, Ponyboy!" Darry ordered, sitting me down. I didn't know that my body was shaking.

"I could have saved him from this. I don't want him to die." My voice squeaked; I was now weeping.

"It's not your fault. You couldn't have stopped this from happening."

"Yes I could have! If only I wasn't so useless! Johnny!"

"He's not going to wake up any time soon," the doctor said but Johnny's fingers twitched. His eyes fluttered open.

"Johnny," I sighed in relief. He looked at me, not speaking.

"What in the… Everyone can you please exit the room for a few minutes? I need to ask him some questions." Both of us did and when we were called back the doctor looked at us sternly.

"What's wrong?" Darry asked.

"I'm sorry, but he won't be able to speak anytime soon. He won't speak at all. He's going to be mute for the rest of his life if he makes it out of the hospital alive."

"How did he become mute?"

"He was injected with this type of poison that causes the throat to swell up, blocking the voice coming through. It will also block food and liquids from entering through the mouth. We are having to feed him through tubes. The swelling will also stop breathing soon. The swelling keeps growing. We are trying all we can to stop the swelling from growing, but I don't think he's going to make it past tonight."

My eyes widened. "Can we see him?"

"I'm afraid not. No one can see him right now."

Darry grabbed me, sitting me down on one of the waiting chairs. "We'll wait then."

Hours past until the doctor came out again, grim-faced. Darry stood up straight and I followed behind.

"I'm sorry but we can't save him. We're pulling the plug. You can go see him if you want."

I pushed past him and into the room. Johnny looked worse off than before. His neck was puffed up and pink, several spots blistering.

"Johnny…" I called out. He opened his eyes. He looked so weak. His mouth opened but no sound came out. His lips moved in the name, 'Ponyboy'. Then his eyes closed again, a shaky breath escaped his lips, and his body relaxed. A long, continuous beep filled the room.

The doctor looked at his watch. "Time of death: 10:34 P.M."

My head rested at Johnny's side. I didn't know how long I sat there, weeping until Darry pulled me up from the chair. "Come on, we should go."

I nodded, walking with him to the door. "What about Dally?"

"Do you want to see him?"

I nodded, whipping away the excess tears. He should know what happened to Johnny. Dally's room wasn't too far from Johnny's. When I walked inside, he sat in his bed with a bored expression. He looked at me then Darry. "Hey," he greeted, giving a small wave. "Have you visited Johnny?"

I couldn't look at him any longer and looked away. Darry spoke instead. "Yeah."

"How is he?"

Darry didn't speak this time but that was all was needed to know what happened. There was a loud crash and I knew that Dally had broken. He let out a loud cry, snapping at us to get out. We had to comply since we were told to leave.

Darry drove me back to the hospital and was immediately sent to my room. Soda bombarded me with questions when I got inside. Has he stayed up all night for me? I told him what happened and he just stared blankly at me.

"We're losing everyone…" Was all he said before slumping down on his bed.

The next morning the hospital received a call. Dally was dead. Hung himself with his sheets. That's when I knew, Johnny was the only thing holding him onto this world.

**o-o-o**

The sun shone down on my skin as I sat on stairs. Cars zoomed by below me.

"Ready to go?" A male voice asked. I looked up. My uncle stood there, a small smile on his face.

I nodded. "Yeah, let's go." I stood up and started to walk down towards the parking lot with him. I sat down in the passenger's seat, buckling myself up. As the car swerved away from the hospital, I caught a glimpse in the window. Johnny and Dally stood looking at me. I tore my vision from them; clutching my pills tighter.

**o-o-o**

**And done. The ones who have read my stories before knew that ending was going to happen.**

**Thank you all for reading! And if you haven't, check out my poll on my profile!**

**Replies:**

**The Curtis Crew: Done and done!**

**Pony'sgirlfriend: Thank you! Really, that was your favorite part? Huh. I didn't think people would care about that part.**

**Seth Clearwater: Thank you**


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